Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said many rural folks just use these telecentres to check their e-mail, browse the Internet and use some computer applications.
It costs around RM200,000 to RM300,000 for a telecentre to be built. So far, the Government has constructed over 900 such centres, mostly in rural areas.
"We should extract more from these centres. For instance, smallholders can use the Internet facilities to link up with a website that shows the real-time prices of commodities such as rubber or palm oil.
"Then, using this information, they can sell their goods directly without having to resort to middlemen. Rural folks can also use e-government services to pay their assessment and quit rent without having to travel all the way to the nearest town and losing a day’s work.
"One problem is that there is a lack of software content developed for local use as well as in motivation to get people to learn about computers," he told reporters after launching the e-Asia 2007 Seminar at Putrajaya International Convention Centre here Tuesday.
Dr Lim said in certain smart schools, some teachers did not even know how to fully use the computers or the learning software provided.
"So these are the kind of priorities we have to re-organise. It's only when computers are fully utilised that we can increase the level of Internet penetration in the country," he said.
Dr Lim said these telecentres should instead be transformed into "knowledge centres."
Quelle/Source: The Malaysia Star , 06.02.2007
